7:3 - When Isaiah confront King Ahaz who is preparing for a siege, he starts out by introducing his son to the king. His son's name is Shear-jashub, which translates literally as "a remnant will return." Not the most fun way to ever start a conversation, huh? Hey this is my son God-Will-Leave-Somebody-Alive. The message his son's name sends is that even when the children of Israel are experiencing the fallout of their rejection of God...God will always be faithful and leave a remnant of His people behind.
7:4 - I really like the imagery and the message in this verse. Isaiah tells Ahaz that he does not need to worry about the two armies that are coming against him. He says they are like the unburned ends of a log that rest on the outside of the fire. They smolder and smoke, but they offer no warmth and will soon die out. God wants Ahaz to know that these men are inconsequential and that He is in control. I think if we were honest, a lot of the problems we have and alot of the things we worry about are like these smoldering/useless logs...they will die out soon and mean nothing in God's greater plan for our lives.
7:9 - If you do not stand firm in your faith...stand firm in the things you believe in...you will not be firm in any way. True strength is found in living out your faith no matter what the cost.
7:14 - Matthew tells us in Matthew 1:23 that this prophecy was fulfilled in the form of Jesus Christ. So the real questions is - why does Isaiah give this prophecy to a king who is under siege...why would it offer hope to the people of God centuries before Jesus ever showed up? Because the name of the coming savior means "God with us" and Isaiah again is making the point that God is always with His people. Even if things fall apart for there kingdom, we know that there will always be a remnant...there will always be a future hope. God is coming to dwell among us, and He did come in the form of Jesus. We can take heart int he fact that Jesus has already come...we know how the story ends. Although his life and sacrifice do not automatically make it so that every one of our earthly problems is gone...we know that these things are temporary and we know where our future lies.
7:12ff - So many American Christians allow themselves to get caught up in the fear and conspiracies that are propagated by our culture and the media. We must always remember who is really in charge and that there is only one source of power worthy of our fear - that is God himself. If we allow ourselves to humbly fear the awesome power of God and believe that He is in total control - then He becomes a refuge for the faithful. We can find peace of mind in the fact that our all-powerful God in in control.
8:16 - When Isaiah tells the people to "bind up the testimony," he is reminding them to hold onto the treasures of faith and prophecy that they have been given. He wants them to hold firmly to the future hope because there will be times that they cannot see the light at the end of the tunnel and they have to trust God that His promises will come to pass even when they cannot see them. For us, it is often hard to grasp into God's promises of hope, peace and love int he midst of our screwed up world...but we have to bind up these promises and know that even when we cannot see them - they are coming. God is faithful.
8:19-20 - Why do we seek advice from mystical methods, the dead, horoscopes, Cosmo,radio and TV personalities...when we can put our inquires before the one and only God of the universe?
9:6ff - Here we have more Messianic prophecy. This describes the nature and character of Jesus. I am drawn tot he fact that Isaiah prophecies that he will be born...he will come into the world as a baby. God is not sending a warrior who will crush the enemies of God and offer a new form of oppression to the people...God is coming to earth in the form of a baby. God is coming in humility and as verse 4 implies, will break the yoke of oppression through a radical new "way."
9:19-20 - Isaiah prophecies that as the siege continues on, the people will follow their basest instincts and turn on one another. They are being punished by God, because as a nation that turned away from Him and they turned on one another. Every person was thinking only of his/her own interests. Isaiah predicts that when these self-centered people are trapped together during the siege, they will literally begin to devour one another - just like they had been devouring one another socially and politically for years. Pretty bleak picture there...but don't forget - the theme of these chapters was that no matter what - God is working out His plan and God will remain faithful to His promises.
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